Monday, December 17, 2012

STUFF YOUR STOCKING BLOGFEST: LARRY PETERSON

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My hair has grayed, I receive Medicare, I have grandchildren and I have a bad back. YES--I am a senior citizen. And YES, I believe in Santa Claus.

I do---I do, no ifs, ands, buts, or maybes, I believe. My secret is out and I do not care. However, you must understand, that I have reached this unmistakable conclusion through a pragmatic, practical analysis of the facts at hand and I am "hard-boiled," stone-sober, and perfectly logical in my conclusion. Santa Claus (or St. Nicholas or Kris Kringle or Father Christmas--it does not matter) lives and is real. Now I shall attempt to reason with you non-believers and all those that are sure that I am nothing more than a regressed senior dwelling back in time when I was age seven.

First of all, the concept of a jolly fat man in a red suit who flies around the world on Christmas Eve in a sled pulled by reindeer that can fly at Mach3 may seem, on the surface, to be a tad far-fetched. It is Not. He is NOT and he is REAL. The point that the practical, common sense world is missing is the fact that Santa has extraordinary miraculous powers and these powers were given to him by a Child (you know Who I am talking about) and what do children love? Why they love toys and candy and music and all sorts of silly things. They LOVE waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve.

They stand in awe on Christmas morning when they look under their tree and know that Santa has come. And it has all been orchestrated by a Child. Why else would toys being given to children be the prime focus of the Season? How can anyone NOT believe this is true. It happens every year.

You have to remember that Santa Claus has been empowered by the Most High so it follows that Santa does all things 'good'. It also follows that Santa knows that it is important for the big folks to teach the little folks about giving and sharing. So, about a month before Christmas, Santa stands at the North Pole, raises his arms and bellows these words, "Parate Venio", (which is Latin for "I am Coming")casting a spell over the entire world. This spell does not stick to everyone, only those that are wanting to embrace the Christmas Spirit. These folks, now spellbound, begin decorating their homes, buying presents that they cannot afford so they may GIVE to others and insisting to their children that Santa Claus is coming on Christmas Eve. Amazingly they never realize that it has been Santa all along using them as his helpers or elves. On Christmas Eve Santa must stay busy flying all around the globe allowing satellites to track him and weather forecasters to report his whereabouts.

There you go folks. I have proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that Santa Claus is real. Come on now, how else could all of this happen? I believe it. Merry Christmas!

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About the Author:

Larry Peterson was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. A former Metal Lather/Reinforcing Iron-worker, he left that business after coming down with MS. He, his wife and three kids moved to Florida 30 years ago. Larry began doing freelance newspaper commentary after graduating from Tampa College in 1984.

His first children's picture book, Slippery Willie's Stupid, Ugly Shoes was published in 2011. In 2012, his full length novel, The Priest and the Peaches was released and he is presently working on the sequel.

He also has a blog (http://www.ThePriestandthePeaches.com) where he posts weekly commentary. He lives in Pinellas Park, Florida, and his kids and six grandchildren all live within three miles of each other.

Historical fiction novel set in the Bronx in the mid-1960s

Take a seven day journey with the five, newly orphaned Peach kids, as they begin their struggle to remain a family while planning their dad's funeral.

They find an ally in the local parish priest, Father Tim Sullivan, who tries his best to guide them through the strange, unchartered and turbulent waters of "grown-up world." A story that is sad, funny, and inspiring as it shows how the power of family love and faith can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.